


The Second Hand Unwinds

by MemoryDragon



Series: The Ace Detective [2]
Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse)
Genre: Asexual Character, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 12:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16263911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemoryDragon/pseuds/MemoryDragon
Summary: While visiting a temple on an alien planet, Bruce Wayne gets thrown into the past.  Now he has to deal with a teenaged version of Clark Kent's biological mother, her new-found powers due to the yellow sun, and a potential genocide.This is why he hates leaving Gotham.





	The Second Hand Unwinds

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the DCAU, nor do I make any claim to.  
> Warnings: Teenagers dealing with the deaths of their parents and discussions of genocide. No graphic depictions, however.  
> Thanks: Many thanks as always to narwhale_callin, who has betaed many, many of my words. Here's to a million more! XD  
> Notes: Here is the latest in my line of "No one will care and read this fic" line-up. It's a good thing I don't mind. Like, I'm sure if I had managed slash, or had done this with Jor-El and had slash comparisons, people would read this. But I didn't, and I decided to go with one of the more under-appreciated characters, Clark's mother. Because she needs way more love.
> 
> In terms of canon about Lara Lor-Von, I took a little bit from various canons since the animated universe... really didn't expand on her much at all. Space travelling Kryptonians I took from both Supergirl and Man of Steel where Zod and the others wore encounter suits to protect them against the environment. 
> 
> Also, if you're here for slash... There's some emotional intimacy at the end with Clark, but most of the fic is Bruce and Lara. I mostly tagged it because the relationship progresses a little and for a lack of anything else to tag it. 
> 
> Finally, I've decided that any fic I write in DCAU might as well be a part of a series of Asexual Bruce Wayne. So have a sequel, ye few who will actually read this.
> 
> Alternative Titles: Bat the Future, or How I Met Your Mother

"We're not sure how the architects built this temple, but it dates back over two thousand years," the translator, a red-scaled humanoid, said. She had no hair and a set of gills on her neck that the Glifordians rarely used any more. Progress had taken them out of the water and onto land, then into the stars. It was the latter that caused friction on the neighboring planets and Green Lantern had requested the League take a hand in the peace talks since the Lanterns were stretched thin at the moment.

Bruce preferred to stay on his own planet, but Clark had wheedled away at his patience, saying he could use a vacation and that it was a short trip. He'd agreed only because Clark had become insufferable and Alfred was also threatening him at the same time. Though he wouldn't admit it to Clark, space travel _was_ thrilling, even if he didn't like being away from Gotham for too long. He'd built the Watch Tower, but it wasn't the same as walking on alien planets. Headaches aside, traveling and sight-seeing weren't _too_ terrible.

Clark walked beside him with a glazed look in his eyes. Museums of ancient temples were admittedly low on the excitement scale, but Bruce liked the quiet. When he noticed Bruce staring, Clark bumped their shoulders together, smiling sunnily as if this 'vacation' had all gone according to plan.

Ignoring him, Bruce went back to admiring the temple. The architecture of the temple was different from the tall, blocky buildings of the rest of the city, holding a sleek elegance that was more curved and rounded. The pillars that supported the ceiling were a sparkling blue that was fascinating from a scientific standpoint.

On their other side, Ambassador Hiraht droned on, but Bruce was glad to pretend to ignore him. He'd studied Glifordian before coming, but he and Clark saw no reason to let on they knew that when the political ground was tricky enough. Hiraht was also stuffy and pretentious, one of the bigger headaches Bruce had had to deal with since coming here, so ignoring him was more pleasant than listening in.

Their translator Lisrendr, on the other hand, wasn't the bore her boss was. She was animated and friendly, and Bruce had come to appreciate her company over the past week, including some of the sly jokes she made when she thought the others couldn't hear. "It's said that this is the Temple of Time," she continued, dutifully translating with genuine interest in her voice. She failed to mention the Glifordian empire that Hiraht was expanding on, instead focusing on the temple itself, which Bruce was fine with. "You can see a primitive calendar on the wall from ancient times."

The mural looked very little like a calendar to Bruce's perception, but reading Glifordian was more difficult than speaking it, much less trying to decipher an ancient alphabet. Usually Bruce was up for such challenges, but he'd only had a week to prepare for the trip and even he could only handle so much. "What does this symbol mean?" he asked, pointing to one that repeated more frequently. He'd seen it on the pillars and by the altar as well.

"It means 'Time Walker'," Lisrendr said, gesturing to the pillars. "We think they must have believed in time travel as part of their reality, and they revered those who walked through time like messengers of the Gods. We sadly don't have any information about these Time Walkers, because the Godi-"

"Lisrendr," Hiraht said sharply. " _You should not mention that name._ "

Lisrendr looked down and apologized in Glifordian, then returned with a more rueful smile. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. Time Walkers were revered, but also struck from all records to enable them safe passage, so we can't confirm any real time travel ever happened."

While Bruce was interested in what she'd been saying, that could wait until later, when Hiraht wasn't around to stop her. "You believe time travel impossible?" Bruce asked instead.

"Of course. It's utter nonsense," Lisrendr said, going back to translating Hiraht's words. "We would have found the secret if it were true."

"It's not as unlikely as you think," Clark said.

"If you say so." Lisrendr shrugged. It appeared she agreed with her boss on this one.

Clark glanced at Bruce with an odd look in his eye, but Bruce brushed it off. Clark got... strange when time travel was mentioned, at least around Bruce. He assumed something had happened when the League, sans Bruce, ended up back in the 1940s, but neither Clark nor Diana ever seemed open to talk about it.

Clark wandered off after that, looking at the glass sculpture at the altar. Bruce looked back to the calendar mural, then at the mosaic on the ground. "The ancients liked the color blue," he said, kneeling to touch what appeared to be other sea creatures.

Lisrendr looked sad, but nodded. "The ambassador says blue was an easy paint to make."

That was a lie, but Bruce let it pass for now. This mystery ran deeper than he'd expected. Maybe this trip wouldn't be boring after all.

"What was this for?" Clark asked, pointing to the intricate glass sculpture he'd been studying.

Lisrendr jumped on the topic change, walking over to join Clark. They spoke softly as Bruce marveled at the shimmering tiles that appeared to move when he touched it. It was hard to believe such an obstinate race had created such ethereal beauty.

Clark reached out to touch the statue as Bruce stood, and some sort of energy arched between his fingers to the statue. Clark yelped, looking to Lisrendr who seemed just as startled.

Bruce took a step forward, but the mosaic started to glow softly. He realized with some dread he was in the dead center of it.

He heard Clark shout his name as a bright blue light blinded Bruce and pain seared through his veins.

* * *

If Bruce were to make a list, he'd have a good number of things he hated. Right now, being away from Gotham and bright flashes of lights were on the top of it, followed by Kryptonians who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, and himself for ever being so foolish to want a more interesting trip. The latter, at least, he didn't have to admit to anyone aside from himself.

He groaned as he came to, picking himself off the ground as he catalogued everything he was going to yell at Clark Kent when they had a spare moment. Touching sacred objects that blasted Bruce into walls was only the start of what promised to be a long lecture.

Using the wall for support, Bruce found he was still in the Temple of Time. Clark was gone, which wasn't normal. He'd have expected the boy-scout to be hovering apologetically. In his place, there were twenty spears pointed his way, held by Glifordians he didn't recognize.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Bruce wondered for the umpteenth time why he'd agreed to this mission. He was far from a good diplomat, despite his ability to negotiate and plan, and this situation was only getting worse. Still, he knew a fight he couldn't win when he saw one. With no Lisrendr to translate, he supposed the gig was up. " _I apologize for my colleague touching the statue_ ," Bruce said in what was probably a broken attempt at the language, but better than nothing. He hoped his grasp of the local language was enough to hide his frustration.

The spears didn't lower. In fact, the red-scaled aliens looked even _more_ hostile.

Whatever taboo Clark had committed, Bruce was going to kill him once he found him.

The spear to his right jabbed forward and Bruce stepped out of the way before the electrical current could shock him. It was clear they wanted him to move, so he did as they willed rather than antagonize his captors. The less fuss he put up, hopefully the less they'd expect when he had a chance to make his escape and find Clark.

He was, thankfully, still in his suit and no one had stepped forward to take his belt. So either they assumed Superman was the bigger threat or they were vastly underestimating him as the League's only regular human.

He was herded outside of the temple to see someone who was clearly in charge. Which was odd, because Bruce had been introduced to everyone in charge on their first day here, but this woman was completely unknown to him.

" _How did the-_ " The word wasn't one he knew. Something sympathy? " _-get in the temple?_ " the scaled woman asked.

" _I was-_ " Bruce started to say, but was shocked painfully from behind.

" _Silence, sivileon._ " The word was easier to catch this time. Though he couldn't find a direct translation, the tone was derogatory enough that he could guess.

As it was clear any words he had would be wasted on this lot, Bruce took in his surroundings. He frowned. Half of the buildings he had seen on this planet before were now under construction. He had a sinking suspicion the light that had knocked him back did more than just throw him into a wall.

Swallowing his unease, he let the guards bind his hands. It made them feel safer, and the bindings looked easy enough to get out of. The leader of the group started yelling a little too fast for Bruce to follow, but the gist of it sounded like he was going to be taken to a cell. Biding his time until there were fewer guards was his best plan.

Making a note of the way to the cell block, Bruce wondered if Clark would be there as well. The lack of red and blue was starting to worry him more than he wanted to admit. Just because the people of this planet shouldn't have been able to take on Superman didn't mean they hadn't found a way. And anyone who could take down Superman...

Bruce pushed the thought aside as the hallways got darker. He paused long enough to get a shock from one of the spears, but the unease stayed. The other option was the Temple of Time wasn't as fantastical as everyone thought, and Bruce had been sent here _alone_.

Finally, he was unceremoniously shoved into a darkened room. Only years of training allowed his body to roll into the fall, and even then his shoulder was jarred badly. The door locked behind him, and Bruce sat up, grunting as his shoulder twisted. Freeing himself of the binds was a matter of seconds, and he stood, ignoring the aches from the Glifordian shock weapons. There was a small bit of sunlight coming from the hole in the wall, but Bruce doubted it would be much help to him without more fire power than his belt had.

Still, it was enough to peer through the darkness once his eyes adjusted. There was a formless lump that shook quietly in the farthest corner from the light, and if he wasn't mistaken...

"Hello?" he asked, and the lump curled smaller around itself. He switched to Glifordian. " _I'm not going to hurt you_."

" _Stay away!_ " the lump said. She sounded a little older than Tim's age, but not by much. " _My suit is torn, so stay away!_ "

Bruce blinked, but didn't move closer. Instead, he slowly moved into the light so he was visible, then he knelt down. " _What happened to your suit?_ " he asked, hoping he was getting the inflection right. Glifordian was a difficult language, but he wasn't sure why a torn suit would make a difference.

" _It tore when..._ " the girl shuddered.

" _I won't hurt you,_ " Bruce repeated. " _May I come closer?_ "

Bruce barely had time to move as twin lasers came from the girl, but they shorted out when they hit the wall. There was a small hole there now, and the girl shrieked. " _Don't come any closer!_ "

Making sure that he was out of the line of attack, Bruce settled down cross-legged on the floor. She didn't seem to be in control of what happened, and he was starting to understand her pleas to stay away were for his benefit. " _I'll stay over here,_ " Bruce promised. " _What's your name?_ "

For a while, he didn't get a response. He waited, counting his breaths in silent meditation. He weighed the pros and cons of taking off the cowl. Even though he didn't have red scales, he'd probably be less intimidating. It wasn't like there was anyone here who would recognize him anyway.

"Lara," she said quietly.

Bruce glanced at the door, then made his decision. " _Can you keep a secret?_ " he asked.

" _I..._ "

Bruce pulled off his mask, letting the light show his features. " _My name is Bruce,_ " he said.

He was not prepared for what happened next. The girl looked up and then uttered a startled phrase Bruce couldn't translate. Then there was an iron grip on his wrist pulling him forward. He could see the girl vaguely in the light, making out her dark hair and little else. The lack of scales startled him, and so did the surprising _strength_ she used to pull him forward into the darkness.

"You can't stay in the sunlight!" she said in a much different language, one that Bruce was more familiar with. Then he winced, because her grip was a little _too_ strong.

"You're from Krypton?" he asked, switching to the same tongue. He'd learned it at Clark's request since the man wanted someone else to converse and practice with, having learned his mother tongue much later in life. ' _It's a way to make the language feel less dead_ ,' Clark had said, a melancholy look in his eyes as he handed over the tablet he'd brought for Bruce. ' _I don't know anyone else who could learn it_.'

"You're... not?" Lara asked, letting go of his wrist as she took in his accent. "But you know our language."

"Correct," Bruce said, noting some differences between her speech and Clark's. The vowels were a little rounder, consonants less pronounced, and he couldn't tell if it was that or being unfamiliar with a native accent that made her words more difficult to follow. He wondered if it was due to where she grew up on Krypton or if Clark's country drawl was the problem.

The fact that a teenage girl was from Krypton opened the can of worms he'd been trying to keep shut. There were still too many unknown factors. She could be a refugee.

Bruce's propensity for denial was usually not so strong, but he really hated time travel.

"Why are you on this planet?" he asked, uncertain how to ask what year it was without sounding crazy. His grasp of Kryptonian dates left something to be desired as well.

"My parents-" she started to say, then stopped. He heard her breath hitch as if she were crying.

An ache of understanding formed in his chest. He bowed his head in the darkness, knowing there was yet another tragedy he hadn't been able to stop.

"They were sent here to help," Lara continued. "The Godi - they're being killed. So my mother was to act as an ambassador and help them."

"The Godi?" Bruce asked, remembering the word from when Lisrendr had been cut off.

"But the Glifordians refused to listen and-" she started speaking fast, too fast for Bruce to follow when he was used to Clark's slower cadence.

"Please slow down," he said, barely making out the words kill, sun, and poison. The rest went by too quickly.

"I'm sorry," Lara said.

"It's alright," Bruce said, hesitantly reaching for her shoulder. She stiffened, but didn't move away. "You mentioned the Godi. Who are they?"

"The Glifordians are killing them," Lara said. "It's genocide."

Bruce had studied Glifordian culture on the trip here, but there was no mention of any Godi. Either they were hidden away, or he'd traveled far enough back in time that he was here before they were killed off. Everything was pointing to time travel, and he figured there was only so much denial he could be in.

This was why he hated leaving Gotham.

Which left him with a young teenaged girl whose identity he was trying very hard not to think about. Maybe 'Lara' was like Britney or Ashley on Krypton. Either that, or he was talking to the long dead mother of his best friend, and Bruce didn't believe in coincidences.

He didn't know if Clark's biological mother had a maiden name, or if Krypton used such things. Since it was impossible to verify, he put it from his mind for the time being.

"Why are you afraid of the sunlight?" he asked, looking at the hole in the wall. She had even dragged him away from it when he'd taken off his cowl.

"My suit's been torn," Lara said again. "And they took my helmet. Yellow sunlight is poison."

That... was not what Bruce had expected. As far as Bruce knew - as far as _Clark_ knew, the sun was the source of his powers. Though if Krypton was a space-faring race, it did seem odd that they had never discovered the properties of the yellow sun on their genes.

"It made my mother sick," she said quietly. "Then... she killed my father. And she died too."

Perhaps it had different effects on adults. Or maybe... "Do you feel sick?" he asked.

"I did a little while ago," she said. "And my eyes keep glowing like mother's."

He wondered if Clark had been sick as a baby. But if the sunlight made the Kryptonians sick and they started getting powers all at once... They had no control. They had no reason to _need_ control. And Bruce was the only one in the League with no actual powers to work with either. Still if it was control she needed, there were worse teachers.

"I want you to take deep breaths," he said softly. "Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes," she said miserably.

"Open them," Bruce said, making sure his voice was calm.

"But what if I-"

"You saw me earlier and nothing happened," Bruce said. "You can control it. But you have to try first."

"I can... control it?" she asked.

"The yellow sun isn't poison," Bruce said. "But it does change you. You just need to learn control."

A short laser burst and a small shriek erupted beside him, and he sighed, resisting the urge to rub his temples. The others at least had some training with their powers. Bruce was just a human... "Did your eyes feel any different that time?" he asked.

"Yes," she said hesitantly.

"Then focus on that feeling. Try pushing it down."

"Am I..." she asked quietly. "Am I a monster now?"

"Only if you want to be," Bruce said, having seen far too many people abuse such powers. "But you can also be a lot _more_."

"I can see through the wall," she admitted.

He was privately glad Clark grew slowly into his powers, with parents who were two of the best humanity had to offer. "That's another effect of the sun," he said. "You can push that down too. It's not all bad things. With some practice, you can fly."

"I can fly?" she said, curiosity overwhelming her terror momentarily.

"And have super-strength, with near invincibility," he said, chuckling. "You can also freeze your breath."

"Does that mean..." Lara said, fear returning to her voice. "What if I hurt you? Or other people?"

"You can hurt people," Bruce replied. "And easily. That's why you need control."

"I don't want to be like this."

Bruce considered his next words carefully, because he couldn't leave a child here in the dungeons, much less the potential biological mother of Superman. But he wasn't very good with words to begin with. "I can hurt people too," he said.

"What?"

He looked down at his gloved hands, seeing more blood on them than any one person had a right to. "I fight to protect my city. The only way to do that is to train myself into a lethal machine built for fighting. But I don't..." he trailed off, closing his eyes as he leaned against the wall. "I don't kill. Not ever. I control the parts of me that can hurt people."

"Does that work?"

Bruce didn't know if he was meant to laugh or cry at that. "Not always," he said, thinking back to his troubled relationship with Dick. "But it's better than not being able to protect the people I care about."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to become like me."

They were quiet for a long time after that. Long enough that Bruce's knees were starting to ache. He didn't have any answers for Lara, at least not easy ones.

"You know a lot about the sun sickness," she said finally.

"I... have a friend who uses those powers for good," Bruce said. "He helps people. On my world, he's a symbol of hope."

This was a terrible idea, telling her about Clark. If he really had time-traveled and was talking to Clark's mother, he could be changing the course of history. But here in the dark it was hard to remember his responsibilities. He remembered all too well how it felt to be alone in the dark.

"Could I have saved my parents?" she asked, her voice small.

Bruce closed his eyes and saw a string of pearls drop to the ground as a second shot rang out. "There's nothing you could have done," he said finally, unable to hide how raw that answer left him. "Don't blame yourself for that. Focus on what you can do now."

"What do you mean, what I can do now?"

"For starters, we can get out of this cell, if you feel you're up to it," Bruce said, shifting his thoughts away from lonely dark alleys. He hadn't formulated a plan around a teenaged super girl, but it would make their escape much simpler. Still, if she wasn't ready, he would have to account for that as well.

"I can use my powers to get out?" Lara asked. "But how could I..."

"Any number of ways," Bruce said, resisting the urge to lecture. "But it'd be good practice controlling your eyes to burn a hole through the wall for starters."

"There are people on the other side of the wall though," she said.

Bruce considered it. "Soldiers?"

"I don't think... No. Not soldiers," Lara said.

"Then something simpler." Bruce stood up, pulling on his cowl with a practiced movement and moving back into the light. He held out his hand for Lara to take.

For a long while, Lara didn't move. Bruce wondered if he'd have to plan around Lara's fear of light after all. But finally, she stood, but stayed in her dark corner. "It won't... hurt me? Or anyone else?"

"It may feel uncomfortable at first," Bruce said, guessing at how the changes would affect her body. "But remember what I said about control? I can help you focus on that. With practice, you won't hurt anyone you don't want to."

She reached out, pulling back at the last second. He was about to tell her they could find another way if she needed it when she tried again, this time gripping his hand.

Bruce winced. "Careful."

"I'm sorry!" She automatically let go and he flexed his hand absently.

"I should have warned you about your strength," Bruce said, holding out his hand again.

This time she took it carefully. He gently tugged her into the light, knowing she wouldn't be moved if she didn't want to.

She blinked, rubbing at her eyes as he finally saw her clearly. She had Clark's eyes, along with the curl of hair on her forehead that refused to be tamed. The set of her chin was the same, despite its more delicate appearance, and Bruce didn't doubt the resolve that was hidden under the fear. "How do you feel?" he asked, moving out of the light so that it beamed on her directly.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. He hoped that meant she hadn't been able to hide from the rays as much as she thought and the 'sickness' was over. He walked to the hole in the wall, inspecting it as much as he could. It looked to have been burned there, so he assumed she had made it at some point. She'd probably gotten enough radiation before the Glifordians shoved her in here.

"Can you reach up here?" he asked.

"I think so," Lara said. She had to stand on tiptoe to get her fingers in the hole, but Bruce didn't know how to explain 'flying' to her, so it would work for now.

"I'll boost you up to get a better grip," he said. He waited for her nod, then lifted her up from under her arms. She was slight enough that it was easy to hold her there, though she had more muscle mass than he'd been expecting.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Pull."

"Just pull?"

"You have super-strength. Just try to make it bigger to start off with."

She started to test the wall, scraping away at it with increasing confidence. Finally, she took a breath and pulled the wall apart. It crumbled easily at her fingers, though Bruce had to remind her to be careful with the falling pieces. There were screams on the other side of the wall, which meant they didn't have time to tarry.

"Can you get through?" he asked.

"I should be able to," she said, and he lifted her a little higher until she could crawl through.

"Stand back," she said once she was on the other side. He did as asked, and the wall started to glow with the heat from her eyes. She cut an uneven square through the wall, then pushed it in.

It was easy for Bruce to step through.

"They're scared of me," Lara said as people ran the other direction.

"They don't know better," he said, scanning what had been a busy street.

"You're not scared of me though," she said.

Bruce paused at that, then shook his head. He _was_ being awfully trusting of her control. But it was hard not to look at her and see where Clark had gotten his grace and determination. "You're a quick learner," he said. He also had Kryptonite with him if worst came to worst, because the files on the Glifordians mentioned mysticism and magic was always Superman's Achilles' heel. "This way."

There were guards coming now; he could hear the clanking of their armor. He threw a batarang laced with a sleeping agent, knocking out two of them. He ducked under a spear with the third, delivering an uppercut that knocked the guard out. The last was gone before he could neutralize the threat, Lara standing in a defensive pose next to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I studied Klurkor martial arts for self-defense," she said. "I just have to be gentle, right?"

He pushed aside the irony that Lara was probably a better trained fighter than her son and resolved never to underestimate either of Clark's mothers, adding her to his already healthy respect of Ma Kent.

He quickly ran through their options, realizing with no small amount of dread that the city was in a highly defensible basin, and the best hiding place would be at the base of one of the mountains. His luck with Kryptonians and caves notwithstanding, camping was not one of his favorite activities.

"Let's go," he said with a sigh, looking for anything that might disguise them. Without scales, they were unfortunately conspicuous. He was despairing of making it one street over with a teenager unused to stealth when a blue-scaled woman motioned them over, despite how everyone else fled.

"The Godi?" Bruce asked Lara. She nodded.

It was a risk, but if Lara's parents had come here to help, this mysterious Godi could be willing to hide them. At the very least, she knew the city better.

There was a niggling feeling of discomfort that he decided to deal with later. Time travel's consequences were... not something he had time to think about. He led Lara across the street, ducking under the cover the Godi woman offered.

They were on a cart that started moving shortly after they got on. Lara shot him a panicked glance as they started moving, and he nodded to her, motioning for her to be quiet. She _was_ a quick study, because her eyes didn't even start to glow despite her surprise.

Soon the sounds of the city surrounded them, and Bruce tried to tune out the language he could only get bits and pieces of to draw a mental map of where they were going. Instead of going out of the city, they seemed to be moving towards the city center. Praying that he hadn't just led Lara into a trap, they could do nothing but wait.

It was a good thirty minutes before the sounds of the crowds faded, and longer still before the cart came to a halt. They must be on the other side of the city now, and it seemed like there was less people here. Bruce tensed, but held a hand out to Lara to stay still.

The Godi woman from before lifted the covering. She said something Bruce didn't catch, but Lara relaxed. She spoke back, and Bruce realized it was a different language entirely.

His lack of understanding must have shown, because the woman switched to Glifordian. She lost her smile as she eyed Bruce. " _It's safe now. You can come out._ "

Bruce got out of the cart, looking around the poorly lit room. It wasn't much better than a hovel, but it looked clean enough, and the windows showed a forest outside. There were small sculptures around the room that reminded Bruce of the one from the Temple of Time. When the woman pushed the cart out, there was enough space to sit.

The woman came back, putting some water and leaves on a small stove. " _I'm sorry this isn't much,_ " she said as Lara took a seat on one of the pillows. " _We aren't allowed into the better parts of the city or many of the shops._ "

" _Thank you for helping us,_ " Lara said, saving Bruce the trouble.

Bruce watched the woman as she set out more pillows, her garments flowing around her gracefully. He couldn't help but notice a Glifordian symbol on her chest that, if he were reading it right, meant some kind of 'untouchable worker'. " _I am just glad I could be of service to the Ambassador's daughter and the Time Walker,_ " she said.

Tensing at the woman's term, Bruce tried not to let it show that he'd been rattled. Lara looked between the woman and Bruce with curiosity. " _Time Walker?_ " she asked, unsure of the word.

" _They found you in the Temple of Time,_ " the woman said to Bruce. " _You must come from a different time, probably the future, since you do not know our tongue._ "

If they were already aware, there was no point in denying it. He inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Lara's eyes went wide at that, but she didn't say anything further. The Godi woman poured out the mixture she'd concocted into three cups, then brought a tray over.

" _I am called Rekara Lhersi. You can stay here a long as you need._ "

" _I'm Lara Lor-Von,_ " Lara said, then looked at Bruce uncertainly. " _This is..._ "

"Batman," he said, glad to know she _could_ keep the secret. He didn't trust the Godi, not yet, and there were no crying children to calm this time. The cowl stayed on.

" _I hope you don't mind my question, Time Walker,_ " Rekara said, ignoring the name. " _There are none of my people in your time, are there?_ "

" _I can't answer that,_ " Bruce said sharply.

Rekara sighed and passed out the cups. Lara automatically drank hers, but Bruce held off until Rekara had taken a drink. " _I know the answer even if you refuse to speak it,_ " she said. " _My people are dead in your time._ "

" _I don't know if that's true,_ " Bruce said, though he'd admit the odds weren't likely in her favor. There was nothing in the material J'onn and Green Lantern had given them about a second species on this planet.

" _But I know that the Glifordians have a weapon that will be able to kill all of us,_ " Rekara said. " _I beg you, help us. If you could get me to the research facility-_ "

" _I can't change the future,_ " Bruce said as Lara said at the same time, " _Of course we'll help._ "

He could feel a migraine coming on as Lara rounded on him in Kryptonian. "What do you mean, you can't?"

"The future happened the way it did," Bruce said, wondering if convincing Lara to control her powers hadn't already changed things. Rekara looked between them hesitantly, and Bruce made a note that she didn't understand the language. "It's a delicate balance. We can't just change things to suit our whims."

"My parents _died_ coming here to help the Godi!" Lara said, standing up. "This isn't a whim. How can you just sit there and watch them die?"

"The consequences-"

" _Fine, you do nothing,_ " Lara said, switching to Glifordian. " _But I'm not from the future, so I'm going to help!_ "

Bruce only just stopped himself from rubbing his temples. _Teenagers_.

" _Please, Time Walker,_ " Rekara said softly. " _My son is only seven years old. I want him to have a future. The gods must have sent you to this time for a reason. Perhaps you are meant to save us._ "

He glanced at Lara, sensing his reason for being here had more to do with her presence since _Clark_ had touched the sculpture than any divine fore-ordinance. He didn't believe in coincidence, not in his line of work. If he'd already changed things by getting her out of that cell, he couldn't allow her to lead this revolution on her own, not if she could get hurt or worse. Superman liked to think he was invincible, but Bruce had seen him beaten before. And if the Glifordians had a weapon that could take out the Godi...

" _Alright,_ " he said finally, pushing the sense of foreboding away. " _Tell me what you know._ "

* * *

There were a hundred things that could go wrong with this mission, but Bruce was lacking options. Rekara had given him a vague outline of the facility, but the Godi were not a war-like people, not like the Glifordians. He wanted to leave her behind entirely, but she was a geneticist and the best bet they had against a bio-weapon. Of course, translating all of that had been a headache for all involved, because he wasn't up to date on many Glifordian science terms.

He did pushups to keep his body active, but his mind wandered as muscle memory took over. They had a week before the Glifordian festival would leave the research facility with a skeleton crew. Which meant a week of waiting.

A short gasp brought his thoughts to the present. A week to deal with Clark's biological mother as a teenager.

Pushing himself off the ground, Bruce grabbed the towel he'd set aside. Rekara had left for the night, promising to be back in the morning with more supplies, so he'd taken off his cowl. And the top half of his suit, to spare it the sweat.

He hadn't heard Lara come back in. She'd ventured outside the hut since it was secluded enough to draw without detection. He'd been right that they were on the other side of the city, but he hadn't realized how thick forest was here.

That didn't mean she was ready to see Bruce shirtless. With a sigh, he toweled off the best he could, then pulled on the top part of his uniform. Finally, he turned towards her. Her eyes still wide and red rimmed, like she'd been crying. He raised an eyebrow.

"You... have a lot of scars," she said.

"Not everyone is bulletproof," he said, rolling his shoulder.

"You fight a lot?" she asked.

"Only when I need to," Bruce said, then shook his head. "Which ends up being a lot."

Lara was silent for a long while after that. Bruce almost thought the matter dropped. He started to set out what Rekara had left them for bedding, figuring that was why she had returned.

"Why do you fight?" Lara said finally.

He looked over to see her sitting on one of the floor cushions, her knees pulled up to her chest. There was a myriad of reasons he could have given, but knowing the one that mattered most didn't make the answer easier. "Because I saw my parents murdered when I was seven," he said, looking away. "I fight so no one else has to go through that."

"Does it get better?" she asked, hesitation gone as her eyes started to fill. "Does it - Do you ever feel better?"

"Some days," Bruce said, a hollow ache in his chest. "I'm sorry. It never goes away completely. You'll carry it with you for the rest of your life."

"I don't _want_ to," Lara said, shutting her eyes against the tears. "I just want them back."

Feeling older than his father had ever been, Bruce let her cry. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

They stayed like that for a long time.

* * *

The night was not kind to Lara, who woke up crying twice. Bruce knew there wasn't much he could do, but that didn't make hearing her soft sobs easier. He'd been about to leave when he heard her start again.

She had shaken her head the first time when he'd asked if she wanted to talk, but he couldn't leave while she was still... The retcon of the research facility could wait.

He sat back down beside her, pushing his cowl back as he crossed his legs. Not even he could meditate with a child crying, but he could give her privacy without leaving. Finally, she quieted down and he checked that she was truly sleeping before leaving.

They were in the forest, roughly fifteen minutes away from the city in the vehicle they arrived in. There was thankfully a beaten path that was subtle, but easy enough to follow. It was a short walk to the main path after that, and half an hour before he got to the city gates. They were closed this time of night, but that didn't stop Bruce from scaling the walls.

He felt better in the city, something in his head settling into comfort despite the alien planet around him. Cities, even ones in the midst of being built like this one was, felt more at home than the wilderness did. The steel jungle sighing with nightlife that one could never truly escape closed around him like his cape. He took a moment to center himself, then slipped into the solace of the shadows to follow Rekara's directions to the facility.

It was easy enough to stake out a good observation post, and he started noting how many people were still in the building with his specialty calibrated binoculars. He stayed until the sun started to rise, then made his way back to the shack in the remaining shadows.

He was physically and mentally exhausted, but at least Lara seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He didn't take off his cowl as he slipped into his bedding a small distance from her.

Vaguely, he was aware Lara was getting up, but he pushed the noises away with years of practice trying to ignore Alfred. Still, it was far too early for when he heard Rekara's knock on the door. He wanted to pull the blankets over his cowl, but where Bruce Wayne could have a lie-in occasionally, Batman could not.

" _Did you sleep with that on all night?_ " Rekara asked curiously as he struggled awake.

He grunted in reply, accepting the mug Rekara passed him. He assumed it had some enzyme to wake him up, because the taste was awful, but the heat warmed his hands. As his brain rebooted, he compiled a list of questions for Rekara about the Glifordian bio-weapon.

Lara sat off to the side, her own cup clasped tightly in her fingers though she didn't drink. She only set it down to accept the plate of jello-looking food that Rekara handed her.

He was about to start on his list when Lara finally spoke up. " _Why can't I see in your belt?_ " she asked Bruce. " _I can see most of it, but the third compartment on the left-_ "

"Don't open it under any circumstances," Bruce ordered in Kryptonian.

"But what's different about it?" Lara asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It's made of iron, which you can't see through," he said, shaking his head. Rekara looked back and forth between them, but Bruce didn't elaborate on the girl's powers or change languages. The fewer people who knew about her powers and limitations, the better.

Unfortunately, he was also well aware of Clark's innate curiosity, and from the look in her eyes, he didn't inherit that solely from his father. "It's a rock that is poisonous to you," he said finally, knowing she wasn't going to give up on it.

"Why do you have one?" she asked, not suspicious yet, but she could be easily.

One wrong word and he could spiral down a path towards her making his life even more hellish than she already was. And, for some reason he didn't allow himself to look too closely at, he didn't _want_ his best friend's mother to think too badly of him. She'd been through a lot, and she didn't need more complications.

"It was given to me by my friend who is like you," Bruce said finally. "He... is extremely powerful. If that power ever went out of control, he wanted to know someone could stop him."

"I see," Lara said, though she didn't stop looking at the pouch. Bruce began to worry for different reasons, knowing that her grief was fresh, and he was all too familiar with unhealthy ways of coping.

Rekara's polite cough kept him from further inquiries, and he resolved to ask once their host had left.

" _Sorry,_ ," he said in Glifordian. " _You seem familiar with this weapon the Glifordians are building. But if they don't let you in parts of the city..._ "

" _You want to know how?_ " Rekara said with a small smile. " _The Godi aren't as stupid as they make us out to be. Before things got bad, I was a scientist who worked there. We've been trying to get back in for months now, because we all knew what kind of research was going on, but the law changed so we couldn't work anymore. Rumor has it the weapon is almost finished._ "

Bruce had no way of knowing what her area of expertise was without another long session with Lara translating, and some things just weren't worth the hassle. He had to accept her role for now, because he hadn't seen any Godi in his time. He had to assume the weapon did its intended job.

Part of him was very uneasy with changing history regardless. He took a bite of the bread-like food Rekara had given them to keep from dwelling on the potential consequences too long, because he knew what Diana and Clark would do in this situation. It wasn't like he _wanted_ the Godi to die, but...

" _You still have misgivings_ ," Rekara said.

" _What you ask of me is..._ " he started to say, struggling for the right word. " _I am uneasy._ "

" _You are wise to be so, Time-Walker,_ " Rekara said. She had yet to use his name, but Bruce hadn't bothered to insist. It was something about Time-Walkers needing to be erased from record to allow them easier travels. " _But surely_ ," she continued. " _Saving people is not wrong._ "

Bruce sighed. " _I do not want you to die. I only wish I could tell what the consequences of this action will be._ "

" _Maybe the consequences will be good,_ " Lara interrupted.

Or maybe they would be terrible. Bruce didn't say that aloud however, because bad feelings aside, he didn't think he _could_ leave them to this fate any more than Lara could. Not if he wanted to live with himself.

" _I cannot tell you the future, Time-Walker,_ " Rekara said wryly. " _I can only say that my people - **good** people - don't deserve to be erased from history. My people focus on art, not war. That doesn't mean we should let ourselves be slaughtered._ "

Bruce closed his eyes, blocking out Lara's glare that was remarkably similar to Clark's. " _I'm aware,_ " he said, hoping to close the subject.

Rekara nodded, then reached out and took his hand. " _You are here for a reason, Time-Walker, and the path that lead me to you is blessed. I have faith you will create a better future._ "

She held his hand a moment too long for comfort, and Bruce looked up to see... an emotion that was not entirely welcome.

He pulled his hand back gently, so as not to make a scene, hiding the discomfort with practiced ease.

Rekara drew back with grace, which Bruce was thankful for. She kept things friendly after that, even trying to draw Lara into the conversation. She regaled them with stories of her son before leaving them for the day, promising to be back tomorrow.

Bruce was about to leave for more reconnaissance when Lara spoke.

"You're just like Jor-El," she said.

That was not a name he'd expected to hear. He hadn't realized they'd known each other so young. He was curious about the comparison at any rate. "A friend of yours?" he asked.

"Of sorts. He's a few years older than me, but he gets his-" Bruce missed a few words. "-by the bigger boys."

"I don't follow," Bruce said.

"He's an _aynoi_."

Bruce was a little annoyed that slang was not considered part of Clark's vocabulary lessons. Lara seemed to get he wasn't understanding and tried again. "He likes science and studying. The other boys try to fight him because of it. And he's small for his age."

Translating _aynoi_ to 'nerd', Bruce realized Jor-El must have been bullied by his classmates. "You think I'm an _aynoi_?"

"No, that's just what Jor-El is. I protect him from the boys who want to fight, otherwise he'd be black and blue all the time."

The mental image of Lara protecting Clark's father from bullies with her Kyptonian martial arts was one he was definitely going to have to relate to Clark when he got back to the future. "So then how are we similar?"

"He's _ravinla'tor_ ," she said. "You act the same when any girl tries to-" Bruce struggled with the translation, but he assumed the latter part loosely meant 'make a pass at'. "-him. He gets uncomfortable."

"I'm afraid my Kryptonian classes didn't include slang," he said dryly.

"Oh," Lara said. "I mean, maybe you're not actually, but _ravinla'tor_ means he doesn't like sex. You act like him, is all."

Bruce froze, his eyes widening. For a moment, he forgot to breathe.

"Are you okay?" Lara asked, standing and moving to his side.

Bruce swallowed, reining in his emotions. He forced his shoulders to relax and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine," he said finally. "On my world, _ravinla'tor_ -" he stumbled over the pronunciation, though not because he misheard it. "It's considered a bad thing. People... especially men, are supposed to like sex. It's... not human."

"Oh," Lara said again, tilting her head. "It's not a bad thing, or less... 'human' or whatever. It's just biology."

Bruce closed his eyes, wondering what it would be like to grow up in a world where it was 'just biology'. Even knowing that world would be destroyed, he couldn't... "I am," he said quietly as he looked away. " _Ravinla'tor_."

Even in another language, it was still hard to say. He had spent so long _hating_ that part of him that he almost couldn't. Even the basest _villains_ liked sex, and where did that leave Bruce? People called him inhuman sometimes, and Bruce still couldn't say if he disbelieved it or not.

But his secret was out now back home. He'd promised himself to stop living in the shadows, at least in regards to this. The League and his family accepted this part of him far easier than he ever could. He was asexual.

Lara sat next to him, hesitantly taking his gloved hand. Hers was so small compared to his, but it held so much power. For now though, her touch was as gentle as her voice. "It's not a bad thing," she repeated.

"I'm aware," Bruce said, though his words felt hollow. He'd tried so hard to be _normal_ , to fit in with his civilian life, even as he did the opposite as Batman. It was still hard to reconcile the two halves.

"Sometimes it's good to repeat yourself," Lara said, squeezing his hand carefully. "It's not a bad thing. Just biology."

Bruce bowed his head and let the words filter through all the many walls he'd erected.

Just biology.

* * *

Lara stayed near him after that, making his reconnaissance more difficult, but he spent his time training her to control her powers. The way she threw herself into the training made Bruce ache to see, even though it wasn't the first time he'd trained a child who had lost their parents. She cried every night, but she packed it away during the day.

Rekara dropped by with food and extra info when she could, but she was busy with her son and making what money she could. The symbol for 'untouchable worker' on her chest reminded him of some of earth's culture far too close for comfort. Still, with any luck, they could change the future, or at least make it look less bleak.

She wasn't there for the inevitable fight with Lara, however, and Bruce didn't know if he was grateful she was still in the dark about Lara's powers or wishing she were here for backup. "No," he said, with as much finality as he could muster.

"I'm going," Lara said, equally serious. "You can't stop me."

Bruce was very close to saying yes, he could, but he wasn't going to use the Kryptonite. It would hurt her, and he hated having his bluffs called. "You don't have the training," he said.

"You've been training me."

"For _one week_."

"I know how to fight," she said.

"And you could kill someone by using too much strength," Bruce said. She looked down at that, and he tried to keep hold of his temper. "You need to keep your powers hidden."

"I'll be careful," she said, and he knew she hadn't taken his warnings about hiding her powers to heart. "But I can't sit here and do nothing."

"You can," he said. "It's not safe."

"Nothing can hurt me!"

"Yes, it can," Bruce said, gritting his teeth. This conversation was familiar on too many levels. "You need to be working on your encounter suit so that when your rescue comes-"

"They won't get here for _weeks_ ," Lara said, putting her hands on her hips. Rekara had managed to get word to Krypton through her contacts, but they were still slow at space travel. "And I don't see why I have to hide what I can do!"

"It's not safe," Bruce said again. "You can't-"

"I _can_ ," Lara said, looking up at him with steel in her eyes. "You can't stop me."

One day, he was going to find a troubled orphan who would _listen_ to him. "I could," he said, letting the threat hang there after all.

"You won't," she replied.

One day, he was going to find a troubled orphan who wouldn't call his bluff. "What makes you so sure about that?" he growled.

"Because you wouldn't hurt me," Lara said with conviction that left Bruce breathless.

"I would if necessary," he warned, because he _would_ bring out the Kryptonite if she was a clear threat to others.

"I'm going," she said, her head held high.

One day, he was going to find a troubled orphan who was less stubborn. Unfortunately, he was also aware that one day pigs would fly.

He should look into the Kent family farm to make sure there were no Kryptonian pigs he was unaware of, but in the meantime, troubled orphan.

"You will do exactly as I say," he said, giving in. She would only be in more danger by herself anyway. "You are _dangerous_ , Lara. Your control is far from perfect."

"I'll be careful," Lara promised. "I don't... I won't kill anyone."

Bruce sighed, adding her to his plans. She would be an advantage, even if he didn't want to admit it. But she was Clark's _mother_. If something happened to her...

The problem was she was too much like himself for comfort. She was serious and quiet, all drive and determination when it came to her training. When she wasn't training, she was drawing, taking out her frustrations in abstract art that made Bruce ache and remember the night Gotham remade him. He knew how she felt, how well he himself had dealt with his helplessness. She was like a mirror to his past, except where he had hidden in the darkness, she flew towards the light.

Lara moved towards him as if she sensed his thoughts. He had told her a little of his past, and she was perceptive even in her grief, far too smart for her own good. "I just want to help," she said. "I can't... sit here doing nothing while you and Rekara are in danger."

"I'd appreciate it if you did anyway," Bruce said, but he had already given in.

"You'd just worry about what trouble I'd cause here," she said, a small tilt to her lips that was the closest to a smile he'd ever seen her give.

"You are going to train harder," Bruce said, not acknowledging her words, true enough though they may be.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The day of the festival approached faster than Bruce would have liked. His nightly reconnaissance only yielded so much, and he couldn't risk interrogating one of the guards or scientists and tipping them off. It was incomplete data, but it would have to do.

Lara crouched next to him, waiting obediently for his signal. Rekara stayed behind them, a bag of explosives and a small gun in her hands.

They waited for most of the staff to leave, night falling just long enough to cast them in shadow. Bruce waved them forward.

Lara flew ahead, scanning the wall for threats, then using her heat vision to unlock the door. " _There's two guards ahead_ ," she said, then hung back so Bruce could handle the actual fighting as per his orders. It wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself, but he still had bruises from when they'd sparred, and she wasn't ready to handle her super-strength and fighting at the same time.

He took out the guards with ease, Lara bringing Rekara in as Bruce hugged a corner. He tossed a smoke bomb and took out three more guards. " _Just a little further to get to the main control room,_ " Rekara said.

Four more guards and two hallways later, Bruce entered the empty control room that had been shut down for the night. "Stay on guard here," Bruce told Lara, since she had the best senses out of all of them. "Call me _immediately_ if anyone comes this way."

She said something in Kryptonian that Bruce could only guess at, but 'control freak' seemed like a good guess from the root words. He returned to the room, watching Rekara boot up the system rather than set up the bombs. "I need to know how close they've gotten," she said, and he paused, then nodded. It couldn't hurt to know if they needed to be on the lookout for another attempt.

She was good, he'd give her that much. She cut through the security system with ease and started typing frantically in the text screen that popped up. He could barely follow the Glifordian symbols, but he couldn't shake the feeling of something very wrong.

He studied the DNA on the screen intently for a moment before kneeling down to grab the explosives. While she checked the data, he could start the work.

Pain erupted in Bruce's head, and he blacked out as a knife pierced through his armor.

* * *

Before he opened his eyes, Bruce noted he was in a great deal of pain. He couldn't stop the low moan he let out as he pushed himself into a sitting position and forced his eyes open.

He hated waking up to the barrel of a gun.

His hands went to his side, pressing down on the wound despite the pain it caused him. "Don't try anything foolish, Batman," Rekara said, gun in one hand and Kryptonite in the other.

She was speaking Kryptonian. Bruce nearly cursed.

Lara was on the other side of the room, a frantic helplessness in her eyes. Even that far away, he could see how the Kryptonite affected her. _'It doesn't take much, does it?_ ' he told Superman the first time they met, and it held true now.

"Please," Lara said. "We want to help you. Why are you doing this?"

"Because he's as bad as those god-forsaken pacifists," she said, spitting the word out. "The ones that will let our race be slaughtered rather than fight back."

Bruce felt a chill that had nothing to do with blood loss. "What have you done?" he asked, trying to stand.

He got shot in the leg for his troubles, pain redoubling as he collapsed again.

"Stop it!" Lara yelled, taking a step forward. Rekara held up the Kryptonite, stopping the girl in her tracks. Bruce blinked away sweat and tears as he saw his utility belt on the ground, the iron lined pocket shot open.

"I've turned their own weapon against them," Rekara said, smiling grimly. "They'd have found a way, even if we got rid of this. I want my son to have a future. If I have to do to them what they were going to do to us, I will."

Bruce tried to stand again, leaning against the wall for support and ignoring the gun pointed in his direction. "You would _murder_ innocents-"

"It's no more than they tried to do to us," Rekara said.

"We can find another way," Bruce said. "They have children too, Rekara. It doesn't have to end this way."

Rekara moved the Kryptonite to her gun hand then typed a few words into the computer. "Yes, it does," she said, her hand over the deploy switch. "They've destroyed themselves."

Bruce lunged at her, but he was too slow. She hit the switch and laughed as he knocked the gun out of her hand.

Lara looked on helplessly as he cuffed the now unresistant woman. He took the Kryptonite from her, using the iron remains of his utility belt to shield the worst of the rock's influence.

Lara was by his side in an instant. "Are you..." she asked, swallowing back tears.

Blood loss was leaving Bruce numb in ways that should be concerning, but the exhaustion that fell over him was only partially caused by that. He closed his eyes, hearing Lara's frantic calls, but unable to reply.

* * *

He woke up in a hospital, which was refreshingly similar. Bruce did not have many experiences with alien hospitals, but this one felt much like any hospital at home. Still, part of him ached, knowing that this wasn't Gotham General or Dr. Thompkin's clinic.

Forcing his eyes open, he saw a tearful Lara holding his hand and an IV drip attached to his other arm. "They said," Lara started when she realized he was awake, "you'd lost a lot of blood. They couldn't use mine or theirs."

Which meant he hadn't lost too much, or he'd have died. Time travel on alien planets created a new set of problems for Bruce to put his mind to, but his exhaustion currently overrode his logic. Instead, he drifted, letting Lara hold his hand. He should care more but he was just... so tired.

The doctors came in as Bruce lingered more towards consciousness, followed by a Godi man who looked like he was in charge. He waited until the doctors had finished, then introduced himself. " _I am Taversi of the Godi,_ " he said in Glifordian. " _I apologize for what Rekara did. She did not act with our consent, and she will be punished for her crimes. It was... unfortunate that she came across you first._ "

Bruce mustered the energy to nod. There wasn't much else to be done about it now.

" _We will try to get you both home once you are feeling better, Time-Walker,_ " Taversi continued. " _We ask that you do not mention that Rekara changed the genetics of the weapon to anyone here though. We will take care of that in time._ "

" _What do you mean?_ " Lara asked.

" _Our people are largely pacifists_ ," Taversi said. " _That one of us is responsible for the genocide is a delicate and very upsetting manner. Please allow us to handle it in our own way._ "

Cover it up, more like. Bruce felt the stirrings of anger, but bit his tongue. Arguing now wouldn't change matters.

Lara nodded uncertainly, and Taversi made his excuses to leave. She looked at Bruce, squeezing his hand tighter. "Are you... Are you alright?"

"I will be," Bruce said, though if that was a lie, Bruce himself couldn't tell.

"I saw..." Lara started, closing her eyes. "It was horrible, all the bodies. There were _children_ \- in your future, they lived, didn't they?"

"Yes," Bruce said. "The Godi were dead, but the Glifordians were..."

"So we traded one genocide for another," Lara said before he could continue. "And it's my fault."

"It's Rekara's fault," Bruce said, but he knew Rekara wouldn't have been able to do it on her own. It was his and Lara's intervention that started the change.

"No," Lara said, hearing what Bruce didn't say. "You were right. We shouldn't have tried to change the future. If I hadn't insisted..."

"You couldn't have done anything differently," Bruce said. "You had to try."

"And that try doomed an entire race," Lara said. "These powers didn't help anyone in the end."

Bruce didn't know what to say to that. There was already too much that had changed with the future. But if he didn't say anything... "They can be used for good," he said.

"But it's so easy to use them for other reasons," Lara said. "No, you were right on this as well. I can't let anyone back home know of what the yellow sun really does."

That was for the best, but Bruce couldn't help the small fear that maybe she might change Kal-El's eventual destination.

He fell asleep before he could decide what to do.

* * *

Several days later Bruce was still tired and wounded, but he was a much worse patient. Fixing Lara's encounter suit wasn't nearly as time consuming as it could have been, and his reading of Glifordian symbols was still lacking compared to his speaking. His mind was bored, and that made him grouchier than normal.

Bullying his way out of the hospital, he found himself a cane and limped over to where Lara was staying. It was preternaturally quiet in the city, all the construction stopped. Despite the efforts of the Godi, there were still bodies littering the ground. He'd seen the mass graves as the Godi gave the Glifordians proper burials, but Bruce wondered how long the horror of what had happened would take to sink in.

Lara wasn't in her rooms, but he found her by the Temple of Time, drawing one of the sculptures there. He sat down beside her, studying the drawing. It was very good, though Kryptonian style was a little abstract. Or maybe it was just Lara's style. He hadn't really studied much Kryptonian art.

"They're still moving the bodies," Lara said, not looking up from her drawing. "But the Glifordians didn't come here often."

"I saw," Bruce said. Going through the half-built city only left him wondering how it was changed in his time.

They sat in silence, the only sound the soft scritch of Lara's pencil-like object against the paper. Finally, she flipped the page over and turned towards him. "Would you take off your cowl, please?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow at her. They were alone, and the Godi assured him they would erase any mention of his being here due to his 'Time-Walker' status, but he wasn't sure he liked being the subject of an art project.

Telling her no shouldn't have been a problem, except the words stuck in his throat when he tried to speak. She stared straight back at him, unwavering. He sighed, then gave in and pulled off the cowl, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it. It'd been a while since he'd taken it off.

He tried to sit as still as possible, allowing her to draw. It was a little uncomfortable, but he leaned against the wall for support and that helped steady him.

"You're going back to the future soon," she said as she started drawing.

"I don't belong here," Bruce said. He was alien here in every sense of the word. Gotham felt much further now, even though he knew it was the same distance. Were his parents somewhere in his city, and the same age as Lara? They were still too far out of his grasp.

"You don't want to change any more of the future," Lara said, self-recrimination in her voice.

"It wasn't all your fault," Bruce said, because for all his protests, he wouldn't have been able to ignore a genocide either.

"Serving Rao does not a misdeed unmake," Lara said. Bruce translated it to 'the road to hell was paved with good intentions.'

The silence returned, but it wasn't uncomfortable. On good days, he could sit like this with Diana or Clark, not needing words to communicate everything. It was always a relief to not have to fill the silence with meaningless chatter. Still, he wished for a book, so he could at least put his mind to work on something.

He still had to come up with something to say to Lara about her powers. If she continued to believe no good came of them, what would she do when it was time to send off her child? For all he knew, she must have believed herself immune to the sun and passed that immunity on to her child the first time around. Or maybe something else convinced her it was a good idea to send her baby into a solar system with a yellow star. He couldn't know. And now...

"The person you know with the same powers," Lara asked as if reading Bruce's mind. "You said he used his powers for good. How does he do it?"

"Very carefully," Bruce said, though Clark Kent was as fallible as the rest of humanity some times. "He... is a good man. The best I've known."

It felt inadequate to speak of Clark like this. Even if she was only a teenager, it was her future _son_. A son she never got to see grow up.

Lara looked up at him, her pencil moving swiftly. "Do I know him?"

"No," he said, which was true enough.

"Will I know him?"

He didn't bother answering that. "I will, won't I?" Lara asked cheekily. "I can hear it when you lie, even if you don't say anything. You look at me like I'm him sometimes."

That startled Bruce, and he struggled to keep the shock off his face. Was it true? He did miss the others, but Clark was connected to this in ways that left Bruce wistful for his companionship more than the rest of the League.

"I've always wanted kids someday," Lara said, interrupting his thoughts. "My son, perhaps?"

"I can't tell you the future," Bruce said, though he was oddly relieved to be called out. He had wanted her to know that Clark would be alright.

"Okay," she said, though he resolved to be more careful with her in the future. He was tired. He could blame his slip-up on that.

"Do you like him?" Lara asked.

He glared at her.

"Last question, I promise," Lara said. It was small, but it was the first time he'd ever seen her smile.

"He's my best friend," Bruce said, looking away. "He... doesn't mind that I'm _ravinla'tor_."

Lara stopped drawing, and he looked back up to see her nodding to herself. "I'm glad," she said.

She went back to drawing, and Bruce felt more at peace. He wasn't at home, but Lara reminded him enough of Clark that it was the next best thing.

* * *

" _If you stand in the center, we can try to reverse the Time Relic and send you back,_ " Taversi said the next day. " _If you want to say your good-byes, now is the time._ "

Bruce stood in the center of the temple in the same place he had been when Clark had touched the statue. Unlike the Glifordians, the Godi knew much more about this temple and its history. Bruce supposed he was lucky they didn't deify those who time travelled. It was more than enough for him to 'do the will of the gods' according to Taversi.

He looked to Lara, who held the sketchbook Rekara had given her against her chest. "Will you be okay until your rescue arrives?" he asked.

"They're only three days away," Lara said, shaking her head. "My encounter suit is fixed now. I'll be okay."

He nodded, uncertain of the etiquette when it came to saying good-bye to the teenaged form of his best friend's long dead mother. "Be careful," he said. Anything more and he might be too tempted to tell her of Krypton's demise.

She nodded and took a step back. But she hesitated, as if considering something. "Lara-" he started to say.

She rushed to him, throwing her arms around him before he had time to react. "I'm sorry," she said, clinging to him tightly.

Bruce stood there awkwardly, then returned the hug. "You don't have to apologize," he said. "It wasn't your fault."

"It was," Lara said, pulling back. "Will I see you again?"

"I..." Bruce was at a loss for words. She had died long before his parents had. But to try and change the future again after what had just happened...

"I'll find a way then," Lara said, stepping back. "Thank you."

Bruce stared at her, his throat constricting. He should-

The light from before engulfed him before he could make up his mind to say good-bye. The last thing he saw was Lara's small smile.

* * *

He was ready for the pain that the light brought this time, glad that he knew what to expect. He blinked as the pain faded and his eyes readjusted to the dark. He heard people speaking as someone reached out to steady him. At least he wasn't knocked into the wall this time.

He concentrated on the words, trying to make them out. _Godi_ , he thought absently as the words washed over him. The guard holding his arm had blue scales, not red.

There was no more Lisrendr, or even the boorish Ambassador Hiraht. Bruce felt sick to his stomach as he closed his eyes. They'd never even existed.

He didn't open them until he heard a familiar voice. "Batman!"

Clark stood in the temple doorway, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. He might not have, Bruce realized, wondering how long he'd been gone in this time period.

While Clark had frozen momentarily at the sight of him, he wasted no further time speeding up to Bruce and hugging him. "Thank God," he said. "You've been gone two weeks! We thought... Batman?"

Clark pulled back, looking Bruce over carefully. Bruce didn't know how to start. He looked down, then leaned against Clark's shoulder.

"Bruce," Clark said softly, surprised. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Bruce ignored the question, letting Clark herd him to a nearby bench.

It was a while before Bruce spoke, and he could practically feel Clark's worry radiating off of him. Finally, Bruce shook his head, not looking at the blue scaled Godi who surrounded them. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Clark muttered in obvious disbelief. "You're scaring me a little, B. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"I want..." Bruce said, closing his eyes again as he leaned into Clark. "Take me back to Gotham." He was done with aliens and politics, or whatever other reason they'd come to this planet in the new timeline. He wanted to go _home_.

"Okay," Clark promised, rubbing Bruce's back. "The conference is over anyway. We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

Bruce didn't move from Clark's embrace, nor did he ask about the 'conference' they were supposed to be at. He blanked his mind of all the differences. It was enough to cling to Clark's promise for now.

* * *

Diana met them at the hangar, and Bruce allowed her to fuss over him. He knew Clark had contacted her, though he pretended not to hear that hushed conversation. He knew they were both worried, but after a few minutes of Clark updating her, he left the room.

They called out to him, but he ignored it, heading to the transport tube and setting it to Gotham. They left him alone after that for the rest of the night, which Bruce was grateful for.

Alfred didn't say anything as Bruce returned home, but he did bring Bruce hot chocolate, which he only ever did when he knew Bruce was upset. He stayed in the cave that night, mentally going over the changes only he had noticed from the alien planet.

He closed his eyes and saw the changed city. Godi buildings had taken a much more ethereal appearance, and the peace conference had been about trading art and technology with their neighbors for the anniversary of the city. So he didn't close his eyes, instead working through a backlog of cases that had built up in his absence.

When Tim came home, Bruce helped him with his homework. Then Tim pulled him out to play basketball, which kept his body from tensing up too much. It was distressingly _normal_ , and he didn't know if he deserved it after causing a genocide, but he threw himself into it all the same. Tim didn't ask, but he hugged Bruce before heading up to bed.

He didn't go out that night, though he should have. He had the feeling both Clark and Diana were watching for him, however, and he didn't feel like ignoring them.

The next day he went to the arctic. He'd been to Clark's Fortress of Solitude once before, and it was easy enough to find again if you knew what you were looking for. He wasn't sure it would let him in, but either Clark had marked him as friendly or the computer recognized him, because the robot greeted him and led him to the data banks when he asked.

There were files on the Godi, and less detailed notes on the Glifordians, a dead race from the same planet. He glanced through them, noting the differences from the file Clark had given him before they left. He felt sick when reading that the Glifordians had killed themselves off. Was that what Taversi had used to cover it up?

Bruce edited the file, recounting the genocide for what it was. The computer let him, for which he was privately glad.

He pulled open the file on Clark's biological parents, reading up on Lara's life. The file mentioned her parents had died off planet, but not how. It went on to say she was an accomplished pilot and diplomat in her own right, before she married Jor-El and became an artist so she could stay home with her child. She'd had a full life, but Bruce still saw the serious girl who told him she protected nerds from bullies.

He switched to Jor-El's file. " _Aynoi_ " was not part of his file, though he was definitely that. He'd studied several different sciences and seemed to have the equivalent of a doctorate in two of them. Bruce stopped at one sentence, shortly after it mentioned his marriage to Lara, re-reading it over and over again.

That was how Clark found him later, still staring at the screen. "You could have at least given me a heads up if you're coming out here," Clark said, though he sounded more hesitant than admonishing. He was still in his civilian clothes, probably just off from work. "You're... reading up on Jor-El?"

"He's _ravinla'tor_ ," Bruce said, looking at the sentence again. ' _Despite his ravinla'tor status, he still wanted children and had one child with Lara Lor-Von._ '

"I was never able to translate that word," Clark admitted. "As far as I can tell, it's some kind of slang, but the dictionary in my ship had some gaps in the vocabulary."

"It means..." Bruce started, then paused. How would Clark take this information? Would it change how he saw his birth father?

"Bruce?" Clark asked, taking off his glasses.

"He was asexual," Bruce said, forcing the words out.

Clark's eyes went wide at that, and he read the sentence again over Bruce's shoulder. "How do you know?" he asked, not betraying any anger.

Of course Clark wouldn't be angry. But Bruce couldn't help relaxing at Clark's curiosity. It was still a difficult topic for him to discuss.

Clark must have sensed something off, because suddenly there was a strong hand on his shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, pulling up another chair. "You know I wouldn't.... But was he? That's... I never knew."

Hesitantly, Bruce pulled off his cowl and nodded.

Clark looked at the image of his father on the screen, reaching the same line Bruce had been pouring over. "Wow," Clark said. "All this time and I never... but how did you figure that out?"

Bruce flicked the file back to Lara, scrolling up to the part about her parents' murder. "She was on the Gli - On the Godi planet when it happened. I... helped her with her powers."

"You met my mother?" Clark asked, looking at the file, then at Bruce. "What was she - I mean, she was there?"

Nodding, Bruce tried to pull his thoughts together. "She was... young. She said-" It wasn't important. It wasn't what Clark wanted to hear about, but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "-being _ravinla'tor_ was just biology."

"It is," Clark agreed easily, pulling Bruce into a hug.

Bruce stayed in Clark's arms for longer than he wanted to admit, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He knew Clark must be bursting with questions, but he was...

"She was quiet," he said finally. "She was good at drawing. And brave. She called your father a nerd, but she beat up the bullies picking on him, and she was far too clever by half."

Clark laughed softly, holding Bruce closer. "I still can't believe you actually met her," Clark said, wonder in his voice. "I'm a little jealous."

"You... shouldn't be," Bruce said, tensing in spite of himself. "The Glifordians..."

"The dead race?" Clark asked.

"We traded one genocide for another," Bruce said, though Clark still didn't seem to understand. "There were bodies in the streets-" _Children_ , though he couldn't bring himself to say that.

At Clark's sharp intake of breath, he must have heard it anyway. Clark's arms tightened around him almost painfully before Clark relaxed against him. He felt a hesitant brush of lips against his temple, so faint that Bruce wondered if he'd imagined it. "I'm sorry," Clark said.

That was all that was said for a while.

* * *

"You could stay if you wanted," Clark said some time later. "I don't get many visitors."

Bruce shook his head, cowl back on as he walked through the menagerie Clark had set up of alien animals. He'd managed to relate a more comprehensive version of events to Clark, and now he just wanted to be in Gotham.

"Then I could-" Clark started.

Clark paused as Bruce did, both of them staring at the robot who barred their way. "Is something wrong?" Clark asked as Bruce tensed for trouble.

"Please come this way," the robot said. Bruce traded a glance with Clark, who shrugged. They followed the robot to Clark's spaceship that he'd come to Earth in as a child. The robot opened a seamless compartment on the ship that Bruce wouldn't have found in a million years.

"Did you know that was there?" Bruce asked.

"Not a clue," Clark said, padding over to see. "It's a data crystal of some kind. And some paper."

"What is it?" Bruce asked, coming over to stand beside him.

Clark didn't say a word, instead pulling out the rolled up paper. He undid the clasp, and Bruce felt his eyes widen.

It was the picture of him that Lara had drawn that day at the Temple of Time.

"Well, let's see what's on the crystal," Clark said, starting to float a little in excitement.

Bruce paused, then followed him. It couldn't have been a coincidence that he was here when the robot opened it...

Finally, Clark slid the data crystal into the computer. A hologram shimmered into being in front of them.

Lara.

She looked much older now, her eyes still serious, but her lips were smiling. She wore what Bruce recognized as traditional Kryptonian robes, and she leaned back from a control panel she'd just started. "Hello, Kal," she said, her features softened to a heartbreaking degree. "I... I thought I had prepared myself for this."

The Lara hologram took a moment to wipe her eyes and Bruce wondered if he should go. Before he could suggest it, Lara looked up and smiled again. "And hello, Bruce. If I'm correct, you should be here too. If not, Kal, please call him here."

Bruce froze, glued to the spot. Clark slipped his hand into his, and they watched the message together.

"I was so young when we met. There must have been a lot you had wanted to tell me. But what I gleaned from you about the future... It was still strange, thinking about having a son when I was barely of age myself. But I've thought a lot on what you told me, of the person who had powers like mine. Of... my son. You gave me a gift then, though I didn't know it. You told me he was the best person you knew, and though I have reservations sending him to Earth... I'm proud. Kal, if you are even a fraction of the man Bruce talked about, then I know it was the right decision.

"So I'm proud of you, and everything you've done, Kal. I know your life must have been difficult, but you've exceeded our wildest dreams. And I am so, so proud to have a son as remarkable as you, Kal.

"And what happened with the Glifordians, Bruce, please don't blame yourself. You told me once that it wasn't my fault, and it's not yours either.

"I shouldn't say too much more. Jor-El was against me saying anything, but I wanted... Please, Bruce, take care of my son. And Kal, take care of Bruce as well. He helped me during a dark time in my life when I was afraid of the light. Thank you, Bruce, for giving me some peace of mind that my son will be well cared for. Let this be our little secret.

"I love you, Kal," she said, her eyes filling. "Never doubt that love, or how proud we are of you. Good-bye."

Her face flickered out of existence, and Bruce felt the breath he'd been holding slip out. He turned to Clark, only to see that the man was crying. "Clark," he said, uncertain of what to do. He reached up, drying some of his tears.

He found himself being hugged again and Bruce shouldn't feel so out of place, but he did.

"Thank you," Clark said.

"I didn't do anything. I couldn't... I couldn't afford more changes to the future."

"It was enough," Clark said, pulling away. "Can I... We could call Diana and have tea. In Gotham, if you want. But I..."

"Alright," Bruce said, wondering what book they'd end up reading tonight. "That sounds good."

"Thank you," Clark said again, not letting go of Bruce's hand for the rest of the night.

~FINI~

**Author's Note:**

> Mem: I did warn you and say there wasn't actually much Clark in there, but oh, well. It's a shame so few people will actually read this, since I think Lara should be given a lot more love from fic writers and comic book writers alike. But hey, at least this fic is now out there.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Quote of the fic:  
> "You're calling to me, I can't hear what you've said  
> Then you say, "Go slow." I fall behind  
> The second hand unwinds..."  
> -Cyndi Lauper, _Time After Time_


End file.
